Filter assembly

ABSTRACT

A filter assembly (10) for a vacuum cleaner. The assembly (10) is a cup (23) that generally surrounds a cartridge chamber (20). Located in the chamber (20) is a filter cartridge (21). The assembly (10) further includes means to illuminate the chamber (20), the means including light pipes (29) and a circuit board (27).

FIELD

The present invention relates to filter assemblies, and moreparticularly but not exclusively to filter assemblies employable with avacuum cleaner.

BACKGROUND

Typically a vacuum cleaner includes a hollow body within which there islocated an electric motor that drives an air pump. The air pump drawsair in the through the vacuum cleaner from a hose that is held andmanoeuvred by a person using the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner alsoincludes a filter through which the air passes, with the filter arrangedto remove material from the airstream passing through the vacuumcleaner.

A disadvantage of known vacuum cleaners is that the efficiency of thevacuum cleaner diminishes as the volume of material accumulatingincreases. A further disadvantage is that the operator may not be awarethat the efficiency of the vacuum cleaner is diminishing.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantiallyameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

There is disclosed herein a filter assembly including:

a hollow body providing a duct through which air passes from an inlet toan outlet, the duct including a filter chamber, an inlet duct portionjoining the inlet with the chamber, an outlet duct portion joining thechamber and the outlet, with the body also including a filter cover atleast partly enclosing the chamber;

a filter located in the chamber, the filter cooperating with the body sothat air flow from the inlet to the outlet passes through the filter;

a light assembly mounted in the body and including a powered lightsource cooperating with the body to illuminate the chamber, and whereinat least part of the chamber is visible through the cover to provide forvisual inspection of the chamber.

Preferably, the filter cover is a removable cup.

Preferably, the cup has at least portion that is transparent so that auser of the assembly may view the filter.

Preferably, the light assembly includes the light source cooperatingwith the cup so that the cup is illuminated.

Preferably, the cup is formed of light conducting material, with thelight source directing light at an edge of the cup.

Preferably, the light source includes at least one LED, with each LEDdelivering light to a light pipe that transmits light to be delivered tothe cup.

Preferably, the filter is removable.

Preferably, the filter cover includes a closed base from which thefilter cover upwardly extends, with the filter cartridge being locatedin an upper portion of the filter chamber.

Preferably, at least portion of the cover is transparent to provide forvisual inspection of the chamber and filter without removal of thecover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of a filter assembly fora vacuum cleaner; and

FIG. 2 is a further schematic sectioned side elevation of the filterassembly of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a filterassembly 10. The assembly 10 includes a hollow body 30 moulded ofplastics material and has an inlet tube 11 and an outlet tube 12. Thetubes 11 and 12 are coupled to hoses or tubes 13 and 14 of a vacuumcleaner. As an example, the tube 14 may be a flexible hose, and the tube13 a metal tube that is generally gripped by a user of the vacuumcleaner. As an alternative, the tube 13 may also be a flexible hose.

The inlet tube 11 has an inlet opening 15, while the outlet tube 12 hasan outlet opening 16.

The body 11 also provides a duct 17, extending from the inlet opening 15to the outlet opening 16, through which air passes.

The duct 17 includes an inlet duct portion 18 and an outlet duct portion19, between which there is located a filter chamber 20.

Located in the filter chamber 20 is a removable filter cartridge 21 thatengages a hollow, tubular mounting 22. The chamber 30 and filtercartridge 21 collect dust removed from the air stream passing throughthe assembly 10.

In operation of the above described assembly 10, the tube 14 isconnected to the suction end of a vacuum cleaner. The tube 13 would beattached to a vacuum cleaner head. Air is drawn through the assembly 10from the opening 15 to the opening 16, with air passing along the duct17 so as to pass through the filter cartridge 21 so as to be filteredthereby.

The body 30 also includes a removable filter cup 23. Preferably, the cup23 has an annular end portion 24 that frictionally engages oralternatively threadably engages a tubular mounting portion 25 of thebody 30. Removal of the cup 23 enables a user to engage the cartridge 21for the purposes of removal and/or cleaning the cartridge 21 and chamber20. Preferably at least part of the cup 23 is transparent so that thechamber 20 and cartridge 21 can be inspected. Preferably the entire cup23 is transparent. Preferably the cup 23 is coloured so that scratchesare not so apparent.

The body 30 also provides a cavity 26 within which there is located acircuit board 27 having mounted thereon a plurality of LEDs that areenergized to delivery light to light pipes 29. The board 27 may beconnected to the vacuum cleaner power supply, or may be battery powered.The light pipes 29 transmit light to the edge of the cup 23. Preferablythe cup 23 is of light conducting material so that the cup 23 isilluminated while illuminating the chamber 20. Light may be continuallydelivered to the cup 23 when the vacuum cleaner is in use, or the usermay just operate a switch connected to the board 27.

Preferably there is an air gap between the cup 23 and light pipes 29.

The printer circuit board 27 would be electrically coupled to the mainspower supply through the vacuum cleaner.

The cup 23 is upwardly elongated from its closed bottom 31, with thefilter cartridge 21 being located in an upper portion of the chamber 20.Air enters the chamber 20, passes through the filter cartridge 21, andthen passes upwardly through the passage 32 of the mounting 22. Thepassage 32 extends to the outlet dust portion 19.

The cup 23 has a generally central longitudinal axis 33, with airpassing radially inward through the filter cartridge 21 toward the axis33. After passing through the filter cartridge 21 the defiltered airenters the passage 32.

An advantage of the above embodiment is that it allows the user to seehow much dirt they have collected as they vacuum.

1. A filter assembly including: a hollow body providing a duct throughwhich air passes from an inlet to an outlet, the duct including a filterchamber, an inlet duct portion joining the inlet with the filter chamberand located laterally to the filter chamber, an outlet duct portionjoining the filter chamber and the outlet, with the hollow body alsoincluding a filter cover at least partly enclosing the filter chamber; afilter located in an upper portion of the filter chamber, the filtercooperating with the hollow body so that air flow from the inlet to theoutlet passes through the filter; and a light assembly mounted in thehollow body and including a powered light source cooperating with thehollow body to illuminate the filter chamber, and wherein at least partof the filter chamber is visible through a filter cover to provide forvisual inspection of the filter and the filter chamber, and wherein theair enters the filter chamber to follow to the filter wherefrom the airpasses inward through the filter to be delivered to the outlet. 2.(canceled)
 3. The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter coveris a removable cup has at least portion that is transparent so that auser of the filter assembly may view the filter.
 4. The filter assemblyof claim 3, wherein the light assembly includes the powered light sourcecooperating with the removable cup so that the removable cup isilluminated.
 5. The filter assembly of claim 4, wherein the removablecup is formed of light conducting material, with the light sourcedirecting light at an edge of the removable cup.
 6. The filter assemblyof claim 3, wherein the powered light source includes at least one LED,with each LED delivering light to a light pipe that transmits light tobe delivered to the removable cup. 7-8. (canceled)
 9. The filterassembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the cover istransparent to provide for visual inspection of the filter chamber andthe filter without removal of the filter cover.
 10. The filter assemblyof claim 3, wherein the light assembly includes the powered light sourcecooperating with the removable cup so that the removable cup isilluminated.
 11. The filter assembly of claim 4, wherein the removablecup is formed of light conducting material, with the powered lightsource directing light at an edge of the removable cup.
 12. The filterassembly of claim 5, wherein the powered light source includes at leastone LED, with each LED delivering light to a light pipe that transmitslight to be delivered to the removable cup.
 13. (canceled)
 14. Thefilter assembly of claim 7, wherein the filter cover includes a closedbase from which the filter cover upwardly extends.
 15. The filterassembly of claim 8, wherein the filter covering including a base fromwhich the filter cover upwardly extends, and at least a portion of thefilter cover is transparent to provide for visual inspection of thefilter chamber and filter without removal of the filter cover.
 16. Thefilter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter cover has at least aportion that is transparent so that a user of the filter assembly mayview the filter, the light assembly includes the powered light sourcecooperating with the filter cover so that the filter cover isilluminated, with the filter cover being formed of light conductingmaterial, with the powered light source directing light at an edge ofthe filter cover.
 17. The filter assembly of claim 16, wherein thepowered light source includes at least one LED, with each LED deliveringlight to a light pipe that transmits light to be delivered to the filtercover.
 18. The filter assembly of claim 17, wherein the filter coverincludes a closed base from which the filter cover upwardly extends. 19.The filter assembly of claim 18, wherein at least a portion of thefilter cover is transparent to provide for visual inspection of thefilter chamber and the filter without removal of the filter cover. 20.The filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter cover is a removablecup, with the removable cup including a closed base from which theremovable cup upwardly extends, and at least a portion of the removablecap is transparent to provide for visual inspection of the filterchamber and the filter without removal of the filter cover.
 21. A filterassembly including: a hollow body providing a duct through which airpasses from an inlet to an outlet, the duct including a filter chamber,an inlet duct portion joining the inlet with the filter chamber, anoutlet duct portion joining the filter chamber and the outlet, with thehollow body also including a filter cover at least partly enclosing thefilter chamber; a filter located in the filter chamber, the filtercooperating with the hollow body so that air flow from the inlet to theoutlet passes through the filter; and a light assembly mounted in thehollow body and including a powered light source cooperating with thehollow body to illuminate the filter chamber, and wherein at least partof the filter chamber is visible through the filter cover to provide forvisual inspection of the filter chamber, and wherein the light assemblyincludes the light source, with the filter cover formed of lightconducting material, with the light source directing light at an edge ofthe filter cover to illuminate the filter cover.
 22. The filter assemblyof claim 21, wherein the filter cover is a cup, with the cup having atleast a portion that is transparent so that a user of the assembly mayview the filter.
 23. The filter assembly of claim 21, wherein the lightsource includes at least one LED, with each LED delivering light to alight pipe that transmits light to be delivered to the filter cover. 24.The filter assembly of claim 23, wherein at least portion of the coveris transparent to provide for visual inspection of the chamber andfilter without removal of the cover